The Nine Circles Audio Thing

Sweden's Wolverine have just released their seventh full length, A Darkened Sun, and continue to be on the forefront of the progressive rock/metal landscape with lush melodies, heavy lyrical content, powerful performances, and music that is truly timeless. Along with that list of accomplishments they can now add an audio/visual release that is stunning, to say the least.

Just on the heels of this release, Thomas Jansson and Marcus Losbjer took some time to chat with Josh about the album and its accompanying film. They also spend some time on how this type of release came to be and the inner workings of it, maturity and ever evolving as we get older and how this translates to their catalog, how identity and societal theories play into this release, how Thoreau's Walden played into it, making music for the right reasons, being poetic while still leaving plenty of room for interpretation, and of course pandemic effects and the unintended topical nature of this release.

A Darkened Sun is available now on the band's official website. To keep up with all things Wolverine, visit their website, Facebook page, Instagram page, and YouTube page. 

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Someday, we'll be able to do these horror excursions in a more timely manner. But until then, here's the good news: we're sorry!

By way of an apology for our first episode in... almost two months... we jump back in the saddle with a conversation about TWO horror films for your listening, er... pleasure? And guess what? Our resident horror noob, Buke, picked both of them!

First up, we dig into Host: a nifty, resourceful little Shudder exclusive from earlier this year involving a seance gone wrong - all performed and produced over a Zoom call! (+ 19 current event points). After that, we take a look back at last year's The Platform - a psychological mind-bender with a metric fuckton to say about the world we're living in. SPOILER ALERT: we (mostly) liked 'em both!

All that as well as a bunch of the usual stuff -- Buke's video games, Dan's NOT-metal-listening, etc. -- you'd expect from Blood Red's audio edition. So jump on in and give it a listen!

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MOVIE LINKS:
Host (2020) -- available via Shudder
The Platform (2019) -- available via Netflix

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Portland Maine's Forêt Endormie recently released their second full length Une voile déchirée which sees the band further their vision of apocalyptic chamber folk with the theme of place and how it relates to each individual that experiences it for themselves. Since 2016, their music has been unique in not only sound but in the effect it has when enjoyed in the right setting.

Just behind Une voile déchirée's release, Jordan Guerette took some time to chat with Buke and Corey about the new album and the why's and intent for using French as a lyrical basis. They also spend some time on how the pandemic has affected the band, how Jordan handles creative overlap between Forêt Endormie and Falls of Rauros, using the theme of place to talk about internal journeys, how nature and the outdoors--specifically the ocean--inform the band's sound, the Fire In the Mountains experience both for Jordan and Corey, and the practice of appreciating the world around you. All that and talk surrounding local breweries, video games, and even nu-metal. This is truly an amazing discussion that covers a lot of ground so jump in and enjoy!

Une voile déchirée is available now on Red Nebula Records and Folkvangr Records. To keep up with all things Foret Endormie, visit their Facebook page.

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Sweden's Lik have just released their third full length Misanthropic Breed and stand to crush it in the Swedeath scene with a sound that is instantly recognizable yet inherently unique. It's heavy as hell yet deep in the pocket with fellow countrymen of the same ilk.

Just ahead of Misanthropic Breed's release, guitarist Niklas Sandin took some time to chat with Buke about their new album and the effects of this current pandemic on the band. They also spend some time on Swedish death metal in general, how the HM2 pedal has become such a signature in the Swedeath sound and their own sound, how much Nik enjoys jazz, the obvious Katatonia tie in, and so much more! This truly is an amazing conversation between two likeminded folks so jump in and enjoy!

Misanthropic Breed is available now on Metal Blade Records. To keep up with all things Lik, visit their Facebook page.

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Episode 55 of The Nine Circles Audio Thing is all about the Album of the Month for September which is Phanerozoic II: Mesozoic | Cenozoic by Germany's post metal/progressive metal juggernauts The Ocean which is available now on Metal Blade Records and Pelagic Records. Buke once again captains the episode joined by Vince, Ian, Angela, Hera (Cat), and Jon!

The pick this month was a mere suggestion from Corey which grew legs to become an all in team pick. And, it's easy to see why, this is The Ocean's 10th full length and they've yet to do anything less than EPIC. Ian puts his college learning to good use in explaining the history and timeline while Hera dives deep into themes and tie ins to Phan 1. Vince loves the concept but...prog...so, he is mixed on everything except the one track that features a strong black metal backbone. Go figure. Jon, Angela and Buke enjoyed it for what it is, another stellar entry into a major catalog from a truly amazing band. One thing is for sure, this just might be the deepest dive into an album we've done since the beginning of these album of the month picks. Plus, car alarms from possible dinosaurs roaming the streets?

All that and a "what else drove our boats" in September along with August since we missed that episode. But, pay close attention to the Steve Von Till section which was slated as the August pick from Josh but work and life didn't cooperate in time for it to flesh out. And, a heartwarming tribute to Power Trip's Riley Gale. At nearly 2-1/2 hours, this episode is chock full of stuff to keep you thinking of history, progressive metal and a whole host of albums to explore. So jump in and get an earful!

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We're back, baby! A multitude of events in this increasingly dystopian world of ours forced us to sideline Blood Red for... [checks notes] ...three months... but now, with less than a month until the return of the annual Hooptober horror film marathon, we return with a doozie of a discussion on a highly entertaining, not-quite "horror," not-quite-"film."

It's Verotika. The thing we're discussing is Verotika, Glenn Danzig's 2019 directorial debut.

Actually "directorial debut" doesn't quite give you the full picture; Danzig directed, wrote, soundtracked and also, bizarrely, DP'd this three-part anthology, so it is his baby completely -- eyeball tits, face removals and all. (And yes, both of those things do feature in Verotika.) Is it any good? Listener, it is not. But was it fun to discuss? You bet your ass it was. Join us for an at-length chat with much laughter and bewilderment.

Of note: Dan's technology failed him yet again during recording. You'll notice several short skips during his speaking sections, seemingly at random. Not really sure what happened there, but the good news is he's still mostly comprehensible. (Inasmuch as he's ever "comprehensible.") We've included links to the books he mentions during the "Other Stuff" section -- the titles of which were both audio-skipped -- in the notes below. Sorry to all fans of books and/or competently recorded podcasts!

Anyway, jump in and give Episode 2 a listen!

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BOOK LINKS: Point B (A Teleportation Love Story), by Drew Magary | We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy, by Ta-Nehisi Coates

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Iceland's Cult of Lilith are technically a young band in the sense that they only have one EP available but with the release of their impending full length debut Mara they stand to crush it in the death metal scene with a sound that's akin to modern heavy weights in the scene but with their own unique take on it and unique use of odd instruments to firmly place the exclamation mark on it all. Harpsichord, 80s style synth, and intriguing songcraft make this band stand out from the crowd like an orange flag in a sea of black.

Just ahead of Mara's release, vocalist Mario Infantes took some time to chat with Buke about the album, its uniqueness and why certain odd instruments were used. They also spend some time on their self tag of Necromechanical Baroque and its meaning, how they overthink everything, Mario's entrance to the band and his backstory as it relates to music in general with Rammstein front and center, why it's important to not have a shitty sounding album, lyrical themes, how the game Doom ties in to one of the new tracks, an epic gaming conversation, album artwork, and so much more! This truly is an amazing conversation between two likeminded folks so jump in and enjoy!

Mara will be available September 4 on Bandcamp, and on Metal Blade Records. To keep up with all things Cult of Lilith, visit their official website and Facebook page.

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Baltimore, MD's Exist have a deep lineage across the metal spectrum and with some of the most heralded bands in history. So it should come as no surprise they've made a splash since their mid 2000s debut or that they've shared tours with many elite bands. Their first two albums were an encyclopedia of how progressive metal is done and now with their third, Egoiista, ready to roll they, yet again, hold a masterclass in how to stay atop this crowded genre and dive deeper into their own mechanics to make a junior effort their best yet.

Just ahead of Egoiista's release, Max Phelps took some precious time to chat with Buke about the album, its mechanics and methods of constructing its many moving pieces, and how their complex music lands with fans. They also spend time on the network of metal and how they deal with sharing members across many other projects, the jazz community and its impact on Max, newest member Brody Smith's impact, Chuck Schuldiner's lasting legacy, remembering Sean Reinert, Max's Cynic and Death tie in, and so much more! It's an epic conversation -- jump in and take a listen!

Egoiista will be available August 28 on Bandcamp, and on Prosthetic Records. To keep up with all things Exist, visit their Facebook.

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Denver Colorado's Primitive Man have been banging out the sickest and gnarliest sludge/doom jams since 2012 and have risen to the top of this heap in very short order. No light, no hope, ear smashing, and soul crushing are all things this band has been doing with aplomb since their debut Scorn. And now, with their third full length Immersion, the band is poised to slaughter eardrums and souls worldwide. They've figured out exactly how to build tension and let it simmer to the boiling point and have also figured out how to make it explode into a cauldron of hatred so nasty that many will have a tough time looking inside.

Ahead of Immersion's release, Ethan Lee McCarthy took some precious time to chat with Buke about the upcoming album and how it's better to be loud than just be there in the venue. They also spend some time on the band's stunning live experience, the influence of Crowbar, the definition of doom and relevance to the listener, amp and sound experimentation, and so much more! This is their conversation -- jump in and take listen!

Immersion will be available August 14 on Bandcamp, and on Relapse Records. To keep up with all things Primitive Man, visit their official website.

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FIFTY EPISODES! HOLY CRAP! I wish we could say we had something special planned for this milestone, but nope...it's just another round of the Nine Circles Audio Thing. The gang gets together for July's Album of the Month: the blistering power metal opus Let There Be Nothing by USPM masters Judicator. Buke managed to wrangle Ian, Angela, Vince, and - in a rare sighting - DAN! Who incidentally had the pick for the month!

As Buke points out, this might be the first time a power metal got picked for AOTM, and it's been a long time coming. Though your humble editor didn't get a chance to join in the audio antics, he did write a rather glowing review of the record you can read here. The gang discusses their experiences with the genre, European versus American power metal, the boost in sonics now that they've moved to Prosthetic Records, and how Judicator continues to crush it in the vocal and guitar solo department.

All that and a "what else did we dig?" in July featuring copious amounts of praise for new label mates Rebel Wizard, among others. There's no better socially distant pastime than getting your mask and headphones on and jumping in on the antics, so let's go!

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